1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to apparatus for connecting a switch operator to a switch, and more specifically, to apparatus for connecting a high-speed, stored energy switch operator to a high-voltage switch, which apparatus permits both the operator and the switch to be in predetermined positions when they are connected even though mating parts thereof are not predictably positionally related.
2. Prior Art
Commonly assigned U.S. Patent Applications Ser. Nos. 911,122, 911,123 and 911,124, all filed May 30, 1978, commonly assigned U.S. Patent Application Ser. No. 922,326, filed July 6, 1978 and commonly assigned U.S. Pat. No. 3,980,977, all disclose various aspects of high-speed switch operators for high-voltage switches of the type generally described in commonly assigned U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,549,840 and 3,676,629 and in commonly assigned U.S. Patent Application Ser. No. 956,463, filed Oct. 30, 1978. The disclosed switch operators have output members which may reside in first or second positions depending upon whether the operator will subsequently attempt to open or close the switch. The positions of these output members must be rather well defined because high-voltage switches have rather precisely defined full-open and full-closed positions. Accordingly, mechanical connections between the switch operators and the switches cannot have any lost motion.
Further, at some point in the assembly of the switchgear, it is necessary to interconnect the separately manufactured switch operators and switches so that when the operator is in its switch-open position the switch is open, and, similarly, when the operator is in its switch-closed position, the switch is closed. Partial opening (or closing) of the switch when the operator is in the switch open (or switch-closed) position, or full opening (or closing) of the switch before the operator reaches its full switch-open (or switch-closed) position cannot be tolerated.
The present invention, therefore, contemplates that the switch and the operator are each first placed independently in complementary operating positions. The apparatus of the present invention then permits the interconnection of the switch and the switch operator when the operator and the switch are in such complementary positions. Should it happen that, because of manufacturing tolerances or other factors, the complementary positions do not exactly coincide, the apparatus of the present invention provides an adjustable feature which permits such interconnection without affecting the complementary positions, even though without the apparatus of the present invention such interconnections would prove difficult or impossible.